September is Arthritis Awareness Month, and The Arthritis Society, BC & Yukon Division is sharing important information to help educate British Columbians about this painful, complex and often invisible disease.
Most people still believe that arthritis is a “disease of the elderly,” but anyone at any age can get it. There are more than 100 different kinds of arthritis, including gout, lupus, scleroderma and fibromyalgia.
A recent study done by the Arthritis Community Research and Evaluation Unit (ACREU) revealed some shocking statistics:
• Arthritis is the third most common chronic condition in British Columbians aged 15 years and older – this amounts to 15% of B.C.’s population.
•18% of women and 12% of men in B.C. report having arthritis.
• 56% of Canadians with arthritis are under the age of 65.
• Arthritis is the most chronic condition in Canadian women.
• Arthritis costs the Canadian economy an estimated $33 billion a year.
• More than 4.6 million Canadians have arthritis, and by 2036, that number is anticipated to rise to 7.6 million – one in five Canadians will be living with this painful disease.
The Arthritis Society continues to be committed to advancing treatments and finding a cure through the funding of research. Totalling more than $1 million over the next four years, five different recipients in B.C. have been awarded grants by The Arthritis Society to help them move forward with research projects that will directly affect those in B.C. and the Yukon living with arthritis.